Week-Long Tour Kicks Off in Qatar and Kuwait, with USO Concert at Camp Arifjan

To Be Broadcast Online in Early March with Help from Ustream

Twitter Pitch: Follow @the_USO and @SavingAbel for updates from their rocking tour through the Persian Gulf

Rock band Saving Abel teamed up with the USO for a weeklong USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour in the Persian Gulf. Busy visiting and performing for troops in Qatar and Kuwait, Saving Abel has entertained more than 3,500 troops so far and just finished filming their USO show at Camp Arifjan. Footage from the hi-energy USO show will be broadcast in early March with help from Ustream.

Details:

• As part of their eight-day, three-country USO tour to the combat zone, Saving Abel will visit eight military bases and perform seven concerts. Known for their radio-ready sound, memorable melodies and hard-hitting tracks, the band will also sign autographs, pose for photos and spend time with soldiers.

• Having entertained 1,750 troops in Kuwait, the group filmed their USO show at Camp Arifjan on February 23 and will provide viewers with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look of USO entertainment in early March. With the help from Ustream, the concert will be picked up by MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites, and is dedicated to America’s armed forces and their families.

• Students from St. Albert the Great School in Louisville, KY, created an assortment of cards and artwork, which Saving Abel have carried overseas and are hand delivering to troops in appreciation.

• This is Saving Abel’s first USO tour. The band has been eager to travel overseas for quite some time and have made multiple appearances on bases stateside.

• Avid supporters of the U.S. military, Saving Abel performed for troops in October ‘08 as part of MTV’s “A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE.” Performing alongside such USO veterans as Kid Rock and Ludacris, the concert called for elected officials to provide veterans with better health care, mental-health treatment, job opportunities, housing assistance and compensation for serving longer due to stop-loss orders.

• Known for such songs as “Addicted,” 18 Days,” “Drowning (Face Down)”, Saving Abel was formed in Corinth, Mississippi in ’04.

Quotes:

Attributed to Saving Abel: The safety, well-being and happiness of our nation’s troops have always been close to our hearts. And what better way to show them we care, than by traveling to the Persian Gulf on a USO tour and rocking out America’s soldiers. The USO has a rich history of delivering a touch of home to our men and women in uniform, and Saving Abel is honored to be apart of that legacy. We couldn’t do what we do everyday without them, and we are forever grateful.

Attributed to singer Jared Weeks: No matter where we go or who we are playing in front of, we always make sure people know that from our perspective it is each and every one of their responsibilities to support our troops. They do so much for us, they deserve to be recognized. We have these freedoms because of what they do.

Attributed to Sloan Gibson, USO president and CEO: America’s armed forces do more than defend our borders and protect us from harm, they sacrifice their lives for us 365 days a year and serve our nation proudly from all around world. Through USO tours like Saving Abel, the USO is able to give back to our nation’s troops by lifting their spirits and bringing smiles to their faces. We are thrilled to be working with Saving Abel and know that those in the Persian Gulf are in for a great treat.

Attributed to John Ham, Ustream founder and CEO, and Brad Hunstable, Ustream founder and president: Ustream is a proud supporter and partner for this event with the USO and Saving Abel to provide entertainment for our brave soldiers abroad. Having served our country and graduated from West Point, this is a cause that’s near to us and we are honored to be a part of it. It’s great to see that the Ustream platform is being used in line with our founding vision to bring a one-to-many live streaming solution to everyone, everywhere.

Attributed to Jeanne Flower, St Albert The Great School Principal: We are beyond excited to have Saving Abel deliver the childrens words of appreciation to the brave men and women overseas who continue to fight for us, and future generations to live in a free country.

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED KEANE ANNOUNCES MAY 11 RELEASE DATE OF NEW ALBUM NIGHT TRAIN

Following the worldwide success of their first three albums, the members of Keane announce today the release date of Night Train to be released on Cherrytree/Interscope Records in the U.S. on May 11. The band who has had three consecutive #1 albums in their native UK and have played sold out shows throughout the US will also soon announce tour dates in North America for this coming Spring.

Night Train features eight powerful new tracks which were written and recorded during the band’s Perfect Symmetry world tour that saw them playing to packed arenas in 28 countries. The album takes its title from the band’s favorite mode of transportation during the tour, and includes Keane’s genre-busting collaborations with Somali/Canadian rapper K’Naan, ‘Stop For A Minute’ and ‘Looking Back’.

“I think these tracks show us in a completely different light.” says Keane frontman Tom Chaplin.

Other highlights include ‘Ishin Denshin (You’ve Got To HelpYourself)’, which features Japanese MC Tigarah, as well as the gorgeous ‘Your Love’, which hangs around a rare lead vocal from the band’s Ivor Novello-winning songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley.

Keane, who are Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes, and Tim Rice-Oxley; together they have sold close to 10 million albums copies of their albums Hopes And Fears (2004), Under The Iron Sea (2006) and Perfect Symmetry (2008). They have played sold-out arena tours, and were the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. With songs such as Is It Any Wonder?, Everybody’s Changing, Crystal Ball and Somewhere Only We Know, Keane is one of Britain’s best-loved bands and will surprise and thrill their fans all over again.

BLUES IS THE TEACHER AND PUNK IS THE PREACHER: RAW ENERGY IS KING WITH THE BELLRAYS THIS MARCH AT SXSW IN AUSTIN

Imagine Aretha Franklin fronting the MC5 and you might have a glimpse into the powerhouse of sound that is Riverside,CA- based quartet The BellRays. And this year, Austin, TX audiences will be treated to this powerful pairing as the band has confirmed performances at the 2010 SXSW festival. The BellRays will debut new material off their highly anticipated new collection, Black Lightning, due out later this year.

SPIN writes, “The BellRays have mastered the essentials of swaggering rock ‘n soul,” while the Boston Phoenix calls their live show “Fucking mind-blowing.” The band’s 2008 release Hard Sweet and Sticky garnered critical praise, and the group played tirelessly to eager fans in support of the release. Highlights included opening for legendary UK band The Damned for their 2009 U.S. tour and sharing the stage with Iggy Pop and The Hives at Garden Nef in France.

The BellRays are fronted by Lisa Kekaula, a dynamic and unique vocalist who has also lent her talents to the Basement Jaxx, with whom she performed with on “Later with Jools Holland,” as well as the The Legendary Tiger Man and The Bloody Beetroots. Kekaula co-founded the group in 1990 with her husband and guitarist Bob Vennum. The current lineup includes the rhythm section of Justin Andres on bass and drummer Stefan Litrownik.

Come see what makes this band such an irresistible live act – pure energy and power.

One of the Netherlands’ finest live-electro-acts is back with a new video. From the same director who brought you exploding youtube-hit ‘The Drum’ and the wrecking sweaty reality of ‘Purple Cactus’, we now present you the stop motion extravaganza called ‘Grindin’’. This sequence of 4085 photo’s was patiently created by Nobody Beats The Drum’s VJ / visual artist Rogier van der Zwaag. If you want to see the director at work, check out The Making Of Grindin’ in which you can see the last shot footage of the maker before he was put in quarantine.

PHILADELPHIA – Describing the burned-out remains of their historic “Sound of Philadelphia” offices as “total devastation,” legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter-producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff held a press conference today to express their outrage and sorrow from seeing the iconic birthplace of Philly Soul Music ravaged early Sunday by a fire termed “suspicious” by officials.

Despite the extensive damage to the third-floor at 309 S. Broad St., where the Philadelphia International Records (PIR) offices and recording studio are located and the fire apparently originated, Gamble & Huff vow to rebuild their home of 40 years, a major tourist attraction where Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, the O’Jays, Lou Rawls, Chubby Checker and dozens more created worldwide smash hits.

“Ain’t no stoppin’ us now,” said the seminal R&B songwriting team, citing the title of the McFadden & Whitehead classic that was part of the Gamble-Huff/PIR music machine which generated over 100 Gold and Platinum records and over 70 #1 hits, including “Love Train” by the O’Jays, “Me & Mrs. Jones” (Billy Paul), “if You Don’t” Me By Now” (Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes) and “Enjoy Yourself” by the Jacksons.

“Our space has been violated by someone who chose to set fire to it,” said Gamble & Huff in a joint statement. “But what’s most important is that we will build it again and continue to rebuild. Nothing is going to stop us.”

Following a preliminary survey of the monumental brick building, which they first took over in 1970 with legendary producer and songwriter Thom Bell in 1970, Gamble & Huff estimated they have lost approximately 40 percent of the memorabilia that adorned the walls, filled their offices and was kept in storage closets. The losses include numerous Gold and Platinum records and PIR’s personal inventory of CDs by Teddy Pendergrass, Michael Jackson and the Jacksons, Patti LaBelle and Lou Rawls.

“Some of the things we lost in the fire are irreplaceable,” said Gamble & Huff. “We will know better in the days ahead what our total losses will be.”

Gamble & Huff consider it a “blessing” that the third floor recording studio, where countless hit songs were partially created in conjunction with Sigma Sound Studios, appears to have suffered the least damage and may have been completely saved. Its functionality will ultimately be determined by fire officials and PIR technicians.

In recent years, the Philadelphia International Record offices has become a major tourist destination in the City of Philadelphia. From school children to celebrity VIPs, Philadelphia International Records has continually hosted visitors eager to see the historic rooms and hallways where the legendary “Sound of Philadelphia” music was created. The offices and recording studios also have been the site of several film documentaries and television specials and media visits, as well as special receptions, including a recent event honoring Motown founder and friend Berry Gordy. Gamble & Huff also originated their recent radio series on Sirius XM from the third floor recording studios.

As the corporate office for Gamble & Huff, the building has been serving primarily as the source of the vast music catalog’s worldwide licensing. Their music has been featured prominently in television programs (“The Apprentice”), films (“The Nutty Professor”) and advertising spots (Coors, Verizon, Old Navy, The Gap) for more than 30 years, entering the musical DNA of contemporary culture

Prior to the PIR era, this also was the building where Chubby Checker recorded “The Twist” and Dee Dee Sharp recorded “The Mashed Potato” as the home of the legendary Cameo-Parkway record label.

Gamble & Huff are determined to “get to the bottom of this” to find out who was responsible and why this “suspicious” fire broke out in the building that “has been our home for the last 40 years and also has been a refuge for so many other artists and singers. It’s been a tremendous part of our lives.”

“The No. 1 thing that went through our minds as we walked through the facility is that thankfully, no one was hurt. After all the years our building has been there, we’ve never had any problems that come close to this. The devastation is just horrible. It’s unbelievable.”

Gamble & Huff wrote over 3,000 songs within 35 years, including R&B #1 hits, pop #1 hits, gold and platinum records, Grammy winners and BMI songwriters’ awards honorees. Featured prominently in television programs (“The Apprentice”), films (“The Nutty Professor”) and advertising spots (Verizon, Old Navy, The Gap) for more than 30 years, Gamble and Huff’s songs have entered the musical DNA of contemporary culture. In fact, one of their songs is played on the radio somewhere in the world every 13.5 minutes. With a stable core of artists led by the O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Billy Paul, MFSB and the Three Degrees, Gamble and Huff co-founded Philadelphia International Records and created monster hits almost from the first day of its inception. Songs they have written and produced together, like “Back Stabbers,” “Love Train,” “For The Love Of Money,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Cowboys to Girls,” “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” “Enjoy Yourself,” “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “Only the Strong Survive” and “TSOP,” have received songwriters’ awards from Broadcast Music International (BMI). All told, the Gamble-Huff/PIR music machine has generated over 100 Gold and Platinum records and over 70 #1 hits.

In 1999, four years after being inducted into the National Academy of Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, Gamble & Huff were honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with the Trustees Award for their extensive body of work, both as producer and songwriter, and their contribution to the entire fabric of popular music. In 2008, Gamble & Huff were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gamble & Huff also have appeared on American Idol in a show devoted entirely to their music, and have been inducted twice into the Dance Music Hall of Fame and the R&B Hall of Fame.